Roma are poised to complete a €7m permanent deal for Newcastle defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
Having been frozen out of the Newcastle side, it was always apparent that French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa wasn’t fancied by manager Alan Pardew.
Yet what was something of a surprise was when Roma chose to take the 25-year-old on loan for the season, with the Italian giants preparing for a Champions League campaign.
Signing someone who was dropped in favour of Mike Williamson may not have seemed like the best idea for Serie A title challenge and Champions League campaign, but it’s been a real success story for Yanga-Mbiwa in Rome.
Now a first team regular and back in the thoughts of France boss Didier Deschamps, Yanga-Mbiwa has shaken off the cobwebs from St. James’ Park to prove why the Magpies forked out £7.5m to sign him from Montpellier back in January 2013.
Yanga-Mbiwa was never likely to return to the North East after this loan spell, and now reports in Italy suggest that a permanent deal is a matter of weeks away.
Sky Sports Italia report that there is a clause in the deal where, if Yanga-Mbiwa plays 20 games, then Roma must pay €7m to sign him permanently.
He’s now played 17 games in all competitions, leaving him with just three games to play before making his stay at the Stadio Olimpico a permanent one.
With Rudi Garcia suitably pleased with Yanga-Mbiwa’s displays, that’s something that is virtually a formality, which could give Newcastle a little more money to use in the January transfer window.
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